Hi friends! This newsletter is (usually) a monthly-ish round-up of life things - what I'm enjoying, reading, learning, buying, doing, thinking about, and more. Sometimes, it’s a bit more vulnerable and personal, talking about things like how to handle rejection and feeling left out. Sometimes, it’s a deep dive into a specific topic, like travel or back to school.
Since I haven’t shared a newsletter in a while, I’m going to give y’all a little ‘life lately dump.’ There are LOTS of updates to share.
LIFE LATELY:
UPDATE #1: We’re renovating our house! 👷🏽♀️💫🛠️🏠 I’m sharing renovation updates HERE, but it’s been quite the journey and we’re so excited! But first, let me back up. We first bought our 100-year-old house a little over five years ago, after moving from San Francisco to Nashville. We toured a few beforehand, but when we walked into this one, we both knew it was the one. ✨ We loved the natural light, the cozy kitchen nook, the tall ceilings, and all that old house character. It wasn't perfect, but it was just right. Over the years, we've made lots of changes to the house. Mostly cosmetic updates, but also some larger projects like building our @eastnashgreenhouse in 2018-19, converting two rooms upstairs into a large primary suite with a bathroom in 2019-20, and many non-glamorous home improvements. There's been so much white paint and constant redecorating. 🙂 I’ve shared tons of house photos and updates over the years at #aenashnest and even more on my blog.
We're excited for this next chapter of making our house work better for us in our next season of life! We're adding ~1,000 square feet onto the back of the house across both floors, including two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, a much larger kitchen (with *actual* counter space!), and open family room space downstairs, plus a pantry, dedicated office, laundry room (!!), and covered patio. Our goal is to make it a lot more functional while maintaining the charm and character the house already has that we love. 🤍 We moved out at the end of March, and the renovation kicked off in early April. It’s projected to take 8-9 months! I’ll have a lot more bandwidth this summer to share more detailed renovation updates and content, so stay tuned.
UPDATE #2 (and perhaps the biggest news): I’m pregnant! Baby 3 is joining our family this fall and wow, it feels good to have the news out there now. Between a huge home renovation and a baby, this year will be VERY eventful for our family. 🤪💛I compiled some answers to some common questions below.
OTHER LIFE UPDATES:
Travel: This weekend, Winnie and I are taking a ‘just us’ trip to New York City! I went to NYC with Lucy when she was four, and it’ll be so special to have some dedicated 1:1 time with Winnie, too. She’s SO excited and has literally been asking about this trip for months. 🥹🗽 In early May, I’m going back to Marrakech, Morocco with a friend - can’t wait to do some shopping and be back in one of the most inspiring places! 🇲🇦 I’ll share a ton more on my shop account @shopluckycollective.
Work: I just wrapped up my first semester teaching an inaugural Influencer Relations course at Belmont University! It was such a rewarding experience and I learned so much from my students. I’m going to miss them and hope to teach this course (or another one!) in the future!
PREGNANCY Q&A:
How far along are you? I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant and due in September!
The number one question I received was: was the baby planned? How did you decide to take the plunge from two kids to three? Many of you shared super thoughtful messages and comments after last year’s post asking how did you decide whether to have a third kid? I don’t have a buttoned-up answer to this question, because this baby was…unplanned and quite the surprise! And I know that this answer and experience isn’t all that helpful to those who have been really trying to navigate the decision whether or not to expand their family. And even more so, I know it’s really unfair to read for many who are struggling to start or grow their families or who have suffered a loss. While I kind of thought ‘we were done’ and was at peace with that, we never came to a set, concrete decision. There’s been a lot of processing and layers to finding out I was unexpectedly pregnant that I’ll maybe share about in a different post. Here’s what I will say: I’ve never resonated with the ‘this baby makes our family complete’ thing. Our family was complete when it was the four of us. This baby doesn’t complete us - we already were complete, but we’re all really excited for our crew to grow!
How are you feeling? Overall, I’m doing okay! March (when I was 10-14/15 weeks pregnant) was rough emotionally and mentally. There were so many changes happening in our life, all at one time, and it was just a heavy couple of weeks. Early on, I was nauseous, tired, and had that icky, hungover feeling most days. Thankfully, now that I’m further into my second trimester, I’m feeling overall good - just tired. By the end of the day, I’m VERY ready for bed.
Was the renovation planned for the baby? And/or how have the renovation plans been changed for the baby? The renovation was NOT planned around or for the baby - we didn’t know about the baby when we started making renovation plans last summer or even when interviewing contractors in January. No major renovation plans have been altered since finding out I’m pregnant either. There will definitely be some decor tweaks and updates, but the overall project is staying the same. The current plan is that one of the new upstairs bedrooms will be for Lucy and Winnie (which was the plan pre-baby, anyway) and the other new bedroom will be a hybrid baby room/play room.
Do you know the baby’s sex? The baby is a GIRL! 💖 Sissy crew! While we just wanted a healthy baby, I’m thrilled to have another girl and don’t have any ‘gender disappointment.’ We’re all excited to have a girl! As the oldest of four girls, I LOVE our sister bond and connection and excited for that to expand for Lucyand Winnie (who are already *usually* obsessed with each other).
FAVORITE NUULY RENTALS
I’ll definitely do a deep dive into my favorite maternity-friendly Nuuly rentals, but just posted a detailed blog post with alllll my favorite items I’ve rented in the year+ that I’ve had a Nuuly subscription. Read the post HERE and use this link for $10 off your first order!
RECENT READS
TOP PICKS:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a touching and really special novel. Didn’t want this story to end!
Momfluenced by Sara Peterson - a fascinating deep dive into mom influencer culture and its effect on women psychologically
What Bravery Looks Like by Laurel Braitman is a beautiful memoir about loss and growth.
Other recent books I enjoyed: How to Know a Person by David Brooks, Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major, One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris, Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, Home Front by Kristin Hannah, The Forgotten Girls by Monica Potts, Happiness Falls by Angie Kim, and Don’t Believe It, Those Empty Eyes, and Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea
CODES & DISCOUNTS
BETTER DAYS - use code LUCKYANDI for 10% off
CADENCE - use code LUCKYANDI10OFF for 10% off
CHATBOOKS - use code LUCKYANDI20 for 20% off!
EIZZY BABY - use code ANDI25 for 25% off
HIYA VITAMINS - use this link for $15 first order + free shipping
NUULY - use this link for $10 off your first order!
SHOP LUCKY COLLECTIVE (my Moroccan textile shop!) - use code LUCKYANDI for 10% off!
PAST NEWSLETTERS
No. 20 - Life Lately & On Feeling Rejected + Left Out (October 2023)
No. 19 - The Back to School Issue (August 2023)
No. 18 - Life Lately & On Being Outside of Your Comfort Zone (July 2023)
No. 17 - Life Lately & On Prioritizing Joy (May 2023)
No. 16 - Life Lately & On Feeling Vulnerable (March 2023)
No. 15 - Life Lately & A Personal Question (January 2023)
No. 13 - September 2022 (The Travel Issue)
Thanks for reading! I love hearing from you so always feel free to shoot me a note!